The trade marked the fifth time since Brady took over as the Patriots' starting quarterback that the team traded away one of his backups. Several others left as free agents.

While there are high hopes for Garoppolo in San Francisco, the track record for most of Brady's former backups is less than stellar. Below we take a look at what happened to every notable Patriots backup quarterback during the Brady era, including a couple of big-name veterans.

1/

Drew Bledsoe was drafted by the Patriots as the first pick in the 1993 draft and served as their starting quarterback for nine seasons. He signed a then-record 10-year, $103 million contract extension in 2001, nine months after the Patriots drafted Tom Brady, but he lost his job to Brady early in the next season when he ruptured a blood vessel in his chest. He returned from the injury but did not regain his starting job in New England.

Bledsoe was traded to the Buffalo Bills after the season for a first-round pick. He spent the next five seasons with the Bills and the Dallas Cowboys, going 35-35 as a starter. He now owns the Doubleback Winery in Walla Walla, Washington, with his wife.

NFL Network

3/

Damon Huard signed as a free agent with the Patriots prior to the 2001 season. He threw just one pass for the Patriots in three seasons as Brady's backup.

Eliot Schechter/Allsport

4/

The Patriots cut Huard after the 2003 season. He spent five seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, going 10-11 as a starter. He briefly signed with the San Francisco 49ers prior to the 2009 season but was released, and he then retired. Huard now serves as a commentator during University of Washington football radio broadcasts. He also recently teamed up with his former teammate Dan Marino to open a winery near Seattle called Passing Time.

Rohan Davey was taken by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2002 draft. He was a backup behind Brady for three seasons. He never started a game and never threw a touchdown in 19 career pass attempts.

Al Bello/Getty Images

6/

Davey was released by the Patriots before the 2005 season and spent one season as a backup with the Arizona Cardinals before moving on to the Arena Football League. He now owns a Jamaican-cuisine catering service, makes regular appearances on ESPN Radio discussing LSU football, and has described himself as a professional quarterback coach.

LSU Tiger TV

7/

Matt Cassel was drafted by the Patriots in the seventh round of the 2005 draft. He played four seasons with the Pats, starting 15 games during the 2008 season when Brady tore ligaments in his knee in the season opener. New England went 11-5 that season but missed the playoffs.

Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

8/

Cassel was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs after the 2008 season, along with Mike Vrabel, for a second-round pick. In nine seasons since, Cassel has played for five different teams, going 26-40 as a starter. He is now a backup for Marcus Mariota with the Tennessee Titans.

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

9/

Doug Flutie was a Brady backup during his final season in 2005. The then-43-year-old threw just 10 passes and no touchdowns that season, but he famously converted a drop-kick extra point in his final NFL game.

Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

10/

Flutie now works as a commentator during college football games and more recently has made regular appearances in Dr. Pepper commercials. He also was recently honored by the Toronto Argonauts as an All-Time Argonaut; he won two Grey Cups with the CFL team.

Dr. Pepper

11/

Vinny Testaverde was a 43-year-old backup to Tom Brady during the 2006 season. He threw just three passes, including one touchdown, in limited action.

Elsa/Getty Images

12/

Testaverde was recently in the news as he worked on the campaign to legalize and regulate daily fantasy sports in New York. He also has a son who is a college quarterback. Vincent Testaverde has not had the same success as his Heisman-winning father and recently transferred away from Miami.

Mike Groll/AP

13/

Brian Hoyer was signed by the Patriots in 2009 as an undrafted free agent. He served under Brady for three seasons. He threw one touchdown pass with the Patriots but never started for them.

Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

14/

Hoyer was released by the Patriots prior to the 2012 season. He has since played for five teams. Those teams have gone 16-21 in games he has started. Most recently, he was cut by the 49ers when they acquired Jimmy Garoppolo and Hoyer was re-signed by the Patriots to once again serve as Brady's backup.

Adam Glanzman/Getty Images

15/

Ryan Mallett was taken by the Patriots in the third round of the 2011 draft. He served as Brady's backup for three seasons, throwing just four passes during that time.

Jim Rogash/Getty Images

16/

Prior to the 2014 season, Mallett was traded to the Houston Texans for a seventh-round pick, reuniting with former Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien. In four seasons since, Mallett has started eight games. His teams went 3-5 in those games, in which he threw nine touchdowns and nine interceptions, and he is now a backup with the Baltimore Ravens.

Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

17/

Jacoby Brissett was selected by the Patriots in the third round of the 2016 draft. He started two games his rookie season during Brady's suspension and showed some promise.

Maddie Meyer/Getty

18/

Brissett was traded to the Indianapolis Colts prior to the start of the 2017 season for wide receiver Phillip Dorsett. Brissett served as the Colts' starter since Week 2 with Andrew Luck sidelined.

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

19/

Jimmy Garoppolo was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 2014 draft. He started two games during Brady's 2016 suspension and played well enough to convince many that he could be a starting QB in the NFL for years to come.

Charles Krupa/AP

20/

The Patriots ended months of speculation when they traded the free-agent-to-be to the 49ers after failing to sign him to an extension. The Pats could have kept Garoppolo on a one-year, $23 million franchise tag. Instead, they chose to keep rolling with Brady and so far Garoppolo has looked like the real deal in San Francisco.

Joe Robbins/Getty

21/

Now check out how Tom Brady lives his life away from the football field.